


Kids Survive the Snap

by orphan_account



Series: Stuck Inside in 2020 Works of Boredom [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Cassie Lang Survived, Clint Barton Blipped, Cooper Barton Survived, Gen, Laura Barton Blipped, Lila Barton Survived, Natasha's death, Nebula Survived, No romo, Pepper Potts Survived, Peter Parker Survived, Pietro Maximoff Lives, Protective Cooper Barton, Rocket Survived, The Kids are Heroes, Tony Stark Blipped, Wanda Maximoff Survived
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:28:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23417467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Lila Barton. Ronin.Cooper Barton. Hawkeye.Peter Parker. Spider-Man.Morgan H. Stark. Ironheart.Harley Keener. Boss.Cassie Lang. Stinger.Pietro Maximoff. Quicksilver.Wanda Maximoff. Scarlet Witch.They all are alive. But some of the people the most important to them, they aren't. This is how they get them back, and maybe, just maybe, can look for the light once more.
Relationships: Clint Barton & Lila Barton, Cooper Barton & Clint Barton, Cooper Barton & Lila Barton, Morgan H. Stark & Peter Parker, Pietro Maximoff & Wanda Maximoff
Series: Stuck Inside in 2020 Works of Boredom [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1684453
Comments: 3
Kudos: 42





	Kids Survive the Snap

They were in the basement when it happened. In the middle of a Mario Kart competition, in fact, when there was a shout from upstairs. “Guys! Someone here to see you!”

“Send them into the dungeon!” Morgan yelled back, deepening her voice. Then, she burst into laughter, only to shut up when the footsteps on the stairs became louder. 

A man stepped into view. A man whose face they all knew, even if they hadn’t ever met him.

“Dad?” Cassie whispered, her controller falling from her hands. “Oh my god! Dad!”

She sprinted forwards, nearly tripping on the step that led down to the furniture, and launched herself into her father's arms.

“Shit.” Lila said quietly. Morgan turned, and looked at her strangely, as Cooper slapped a hand over his sister’s mouth, before she could imprint the kid with any other swears. 

“That’s unexpected.” Peter observed. “But not unwelcome. Hey, is this an illusion? FRIDAY?”

 _“I am detecting no signals or unusual biorhythms.”_ the AI said. _“This appears to be the real Scott Lang.”_

“Shit.” Cooper said, and Lila put her hand over his mouth. The kids started as Cassie and Scott babbled incomprehensibly over each other.

“FRIDAY.” Lila said quietly, pulling her brother's hand away from her mouth. “Record event, and save.”  
 _“Yes ma’am.”_ the AI answered, just as quietly.

* * *

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist."

Lila sighed at Peter’s quiet words. She wasn’t quite sure what he was trying to say, and knowing Peter, he might have just been thinking, and remembered the quote, but maybe not.

She leaned back in the armchair, eyes glazed over, staring at the TV that they were all staring at, even if not a single one of them would admit it. Pepper had put Morgan to bed ages ago, and was asleep herself, according to FRIDAY. Scott was in the guest room. 

Only the two remaining Barton siblings, Peter, Harley, and Cassie remained in the living room, the lights dim, TV showing the screensaver. Every minute or so it would change to a different photograph. Some were from before Thanos. Some after.

Lila, Nate, Cooper, and their parents at the farm, a few months after their dad had been placed under house arrest. Cooper held a bow, and Lila had a quiver slung over her shoulder. They were dirty and tired, but their smiles were earnest, and bright, the ankle monitor barely visible.

Pietro and Wanda, back in Sokovia, after Ultron. Accepting the offer to become proper members of the Avengers.

Cassie, her dad, and Hope Van Dyne, all of them shrunk down, watching a black and white horror film on a laptop, sitting inside a tiny car, the entire setup on the coffee table, likely taken by Luis, just before the Snap.

Peter hanging upside down from the ceiling, reading a book, the carpet that they’d attached to the ceiling mirroring that of the bedroom floor, where Harley sat cross legged, reading a different book, forming a sort of mirror effect.

Them all ducking as something Peter, Harley, and Morgan had been building exploded, all of them in lab safety gear, shocked expressions on their faces as they took cover. Pietro the only one not affected, a blue blur in the background.

Peter, Harley, and Cooper in London, after the Mysterio fiasco, looking beaten up, but as relieved as they could be.

All of them running around the house at miniature size, playing hide and seek with Carol, who hadn’t noticed them yet, as they stood hidden, behind a lamp that was turned off, the image selfie-style, all of them hiding their snickers. 

Morgan sitting on Peter’s shoulders, arms crossed over his head, chin resting on her arms. Cooper with an arm around each of his sisters, and Harley the photographer.

A sonogram of Morgan.

“Is it possible?”

The question surprised Lila, and everyone else, who turned to look at her. She swallowed, and repeated her question. “I mean, Cass’s dad came back, could it be possible?”

“I mean…” Harley played with the blanket that covered his legs. “That was literal dumb luck.”

“It’s late.” Cooper grumbled, head drooping onto the couch armrest. “Speak English.”

Harley glared. “That was English.”

“Well, speak better English.”

“We’d make a great reality show.” Cassie observed randomly. Nobody commented on it. “Ignore me then. Carry on.”

Harley sighed. “I got the security footage—don’t ask how—and turns out that a rat ran across the control panel for the Quantum Tunnel, and turned it on. One in a billion. More, actually.”

“How many more?” Cassie asked quietly, eyes tired from the day’s excitement, and the early morning.

“Too many for you to imagine, even when you’re not half asleep.”

“‘Kay.”

“But is it possible?” Lila pressed. “Harley?”

He glanced to Peter, who gave a weird one-sided shrug. Then, turned back to Lila. “In theory, yes. But in execution, next to impossible.”

“Dude.” Cooper said, eyes now shut. “One of us can climb on walls. Three of us have been to space. We fought a giant illusion, have shrunk down and flown on ants, our aunt Carol is part-alien, our four-year-old sister is smarter than the average university student, give or take, and we’re all superheroes, who yes, are on the reserve roostar, but still.”

“Coop’s right.” Peter admitted, glancing at Harley. “If this me popped up fifteen years ago and told Tony that Steve would be back, he would go to space, be a superhero, and all that, he’d say I was drunk. If he wasn’t drunk. There’s a god on the Avengers team, a supersoldier, two other, pretty important soldiers. Nat, a talking raccoon, Cassie’s dad, Carol, Bruce, Wakanda, Nebula, and everyone. We have all of them to help us, I don’t see why we couldn’t do it.”

“What, us?” Cassie gestured at them. “We’re smart yeah, but a time machine? No, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Don’t get me wrong, I wish everyone had their families back but what if it goes wrong? We could end up killing ourselves, erasing Morgan, maybe make things worse!”

She was on her feet now, panting, and took a breath in. She closed her eyes, exhaled, and opened them, speaking quieter now. “I don’t see how it could go right.”

“Cass is right.” Harley said quietly, gaining attention. “Maybe if we change things, Thanos will restart the universe or something. Maybe we’ll die because of him, and not the Snap. Maybe the Avengers will never be formed, we don’t know!”

“So, that’s two against.” Cooper said calmly. “Pete? Lila?”

“I’m for it.” Peter said instantly. “What we could gain, if it’s done right? It outweighs the risk!”

Lila nodded. Harley shook his head, on his feet now as well. “What if we mess up? Everything could go wrong! We just got back into gear! Let’s not mess with that now! Let’s work with what we got!”

“Coopers vote.” Lila said quietly, the moment Harley was done. “Coop?”

He bit his lip, then shook his head. “I hear both sides guys. But… Lila, I’m sorry. I have to protect you. I vote no.”

Silence.

“Let’s go to bed.” Cassie suggested. “It’s late, right?”

“Yeah.” Peter agreed, standing up, and walking towards the stairs. “In the morning.”

Harley glanced at the rest of them, then followed his brother, footsteps loud in the silence.

Cassie hurried after them, and Cooper knew that she was going to sleep with her father, make sure it wasn’t a dream. Leaving him and Lila alone in their separate rooms.

* * *

“Lila?” he said quietly, sitting up. “What’s wrong?”

“Can I sleep in here tonight?” she said quietly, after a pause. “Cassie’s with Scott, and I don’t—I can’t—“

“Yeah.” Cooper muttered, wanting to punch himself. It was his job to protect Lila, whether that be from aliens, or nightmares. And he’d been slacking with all of the excitement lately. “Here.”

Pulling his blankets off the bed was easy, and he patted the mattress, gesturing for her to lie down beside him, in the pile. She did so, albeit slowly. He laid down beside her, the two of them facing each other.

The first month or so after the snap, they’d slept together every night, arms wrapped around each other, terrified to let go, the irrational parts of their minds saying that if they stopped seeing each other, stopped hearing, touching, hugging each other, that the other would disappear, like everyone else.

Slowly, they’d relaxed. Pepper had appeared, and brought them to the Lakehouse, a pet project of Tony where Cassie and Harley, and Peter were, with the remaining Rogue Avengers. Steve and Nat. They’d slowly stopped clinging to each other every night. Then Cassie started bunking with Lila, and Cooper took his own room, although he didn’t sleep there often. Eventually, things had gone back to a sort of normal.

Cooper froze when Lila reached out under the blanket, fingers wrapping around his hand. Then, slowly he gripped her in return, feeling her pulse thrum beneath his fingers.

“It’s okay.” he whispered. “I miss them too.”

* * *

“Shit.” Lila said, staring at the hologram in awe. “I have no idea what it means, but shit.”

“Shit.”

There was a pause, and then all of them slowly turned to see Morgan H. Stark, sitting on the stairs, watching them, pink light-up shoes on her feet.

“Shit.” she repeated.

“Oh my god.” Cooper said, his head dropping into his hands, heels of his palms digging into his eyes. “You just taught a five-year-old how to swear.”

“What are you doing?” Morgan asked, chin propped up on her hands, after Lila made no attempt to defend herself. “Why are you up so late?”

“Because we got important shit to do!” Cassie retorted. Cooper looked up enough to glare at her. She shrugged. “Might as well teach her how to use it correctly.”

Cooper sighed, and leaned back. “Who’s got Morg?”

“C’mon.” Harley said, standing up, and walking towards her. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“M’kay.” Morgan agreed quietly, holding her arms out. He grunted as he lifted her into his arms, and started walking up the stairs, glancing back before he left the basement.

“Start building that.” he ordered. “If they do go back, and change stuff, and we stay here, they’ll return to an alternate timeline, and not this one. Therefore, we will stay safe. We can at least help them a bit.”

“Cool.” Lila said with a yawn, curling up in her seat. “If someone wants to get on that—“

Cooper threw a pillow at her. “Lila, get off your ass and do what Pete tells you to do.”

She threw the pillow back at him, and stood up reluctantly, muttering a couple of creative curses under her breath as she stepped towards the enhanced, mostly a long string of different ways to tell her biological brother to fuck off.

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." Peter whispered, slowly backing up, Cassie clinging to his shirt with both hands.

“What do you mean by that?” she hissed.

“Time travel.”

“Screw you Pete.” she muttered, mind whirling through the possibilities. Since coming to the Lakehouse, she’d learned a lot about crazy things. Even though she wasn’t smarter than most people, she was still clever, and Harley and Peter had a good talent for breaking things down so she could understand them. But this situation… wasn’t going great.

He turned his head, glancing down at her. “Hold on.”

“Yep.” she agreed, as he pulled on an older, Spider-Man mask, and leaned away from the tower. Reaching out with one hand, he jumped, and she tightened her grip. “Oh god!”

* * *

“So he’s an idiot?” Pietro asked Nebula, accent still audible. His sister hummed in agreement.

“Basically.”

* * *

“So, we’re dead?” Harley asked. Cassie, who was sitting on top of the car her father was in, shrugged.

“Dunno.”

“Wait.” Steve said, and all four of them turned to look at him. “What about Hank?”

“What about Hank?” Scott asked. Cassie grinned.

“The blue Rubix cube was there then too.” she offered. “But if you don’t make it, someone has to take a message, so we can come get you.”

“I’ll go back with Scott.” Harley offered. “You two go with Cap.”

“What are we talking about?” Scott asked.

“Are we sure?” Peter asked, with a frown. Cassie jumped off the car, and nodded.

“I did research when we were building the suit, remember?” she reminded him, tapping the chest plate of her uniform. “He was there. The cube’s in the basement, me and Pete can go get it, easy. Cap can get the particles we need.”

“What are you saying? What’s going on?”

“What’s the date?” Peter asked, and Cassie rattled it off, easily. “That was impressive.”

“Not really.” she said. “I stared at it for a week, I’d be disappointed if I didn’t know the answer.”

“What are we doing?”

“Nothing, Scott.” Harley answered. “Let them do their little side quest, we’ll see them in a minute anyways. Good luck. Don’t get caught!”

“Do we ever?” Cassie quipped, activating the Quantum Realm suit, and it folded up around her. Peter and Steve followed suit. “Hasta la vista, bitches!”

They vanished. Scott got out of the car, and looked to Harley. “Did my daughter just—”

“Blame Lila.” he replied. “She taught Morgan ‘shit’. Now, let's scram.”

* * *

“Whatever it takes.” Natasha whispered, stepping away from the pair, and Cooper was glad. Giving them a moment. He turned to his sister, then reached out, and tucked a stray lock of hair behind Lila ear, and let his hand hover, before falling.

“Coop.” Lila said quietly, tears in her eyes as they held hands. His heart froze as she looked up at him. “Someone has to die here.”

“I’m not letting you die.” he hissed fiercely, remembering the last argument. The time travel one. That he’d lost. He wasn’t about to lose her. No.

“Maybe it’s not your choice.” she replied quietly, but he could feel the tremble of her hands in his own gloved ones, the embroidery that she’d done ages ago, on dark nights that she couldn’t sleep during, keeping her mind busy.

“Maybe it’s not yours.” he countered, hearing and feeling the fabric and materials of his uniform tighten as his grip tightened on her hands. “You took the last risk. This one's for me.”

“This isn’t a risk!” she hissed. “This is death!”

“Exactly!” he snapped back, and then wrapped his arms around her, wishing for a moment that he’d gone for fingerless gloves, like she had, if only to feel her hair on his fingertips. He tucked her head under his chin, and just breathed, living in the moment.

“I love you Lila.”

“You too.”

He sucked in a final breath. _Sorry Lila._

He shoved her to the ground, and started to run. He barely moved two steps before his legs were swept out from under him, and Lila was on top of him, pinning him. He stared up at her face, tears welling in her eyes, expression unreadable.

“You thought you’d just say that and kill yourself!” she shrieked, panting, from the adrenaline, the fear, from the situation. “Cooper Liam Barton, no!”

Her elbow slammed into his chest, winding him, and she rose within a moment, turning to face the cliff.

He rose onto one knee, and drew an arrow, notching it easily, and letting go as she started to run. It hit the ground at Lila’s feet, exploding, and knocking her aside. He discarded the bow, and started sprinting forwards, forcing himself not to look at her hurt expression, the tears on her face, because he knew that if he did, that if he looked, he would never make that jump.

He closed his eyes, and felt the last step of ground beneath him, and—

Cooper jumped.

“Cooper!” Lila screamed, jerking forwards, but there was no chance—

Natasha flew through the air, wrapping her arms around her nephew, and fell with him. Lila’s mind went blank, and she screamed again, scrabbling forwards as the most important person in her life fell to his death. “Cooper!”

Natasha had saved him. Her grappling wire was embedded into the stone wall, and hooked to Cooper somehow, holding him in place. The only thing holding her up was Cooper’s grip around her wrist. As much as Lila hated it, she could hear the words spoken.

“What did you do?” Cooper whispered, voice hoarse. “She needs you!”

“She needs _you_.” Nat whispered back, and Lila’s eyes filled with tears. She needed them both! Neither of them were more important than the other!

“Nata—”

“Cooper.” she said, and he stopped. “Let me go.”

“ _Nat_.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” a small sob escaped Cooper. “I love you more than anything. Tell Clint—tell him thank you. For the second chance.”

“Auntie…”

“I’m okay.” she breathed. “Let _go_.”

Lila wasn’t sure if Cooper had let go, or if he hadn’t been able to hold on, or if Natasha had simply broken free of his grip, but she couldn’t be sure, even as a howl of anguish escaped her throat. And then nothing remained.

She woke up feeling cold. Her hair was heavy from whatever held it down, likely water. Her fingertips twitched, and freezing water slipped into her gloves, and she slowly sat up straight. “Coop?”  
He was there, laying in the liquid—she wasn’t sure if it was water, she hoped it was—and he wasn’t moving. “Cooper?”

He coughed, and she gasped with relief, throwing herself forwards, and wrapping her arms around him, causing the water to splash up around them. “Lila.”

She let him sit up, and he lifted his hand, fingers uncurling to reveal a glowing orange-yellow crystal in his glove. “No.”

“Nat’s gone.” Lila whispered. “Auntie Nat…”

They fell into a silence that never seemed to end, both of them crying soundlessly.

* * *

A phone vibrated. Trembling on the table. Both Cooper and Lila’s eyes narrowed in on it, and Cooper started to move forwards, eyes scanning the screen.

He lifted the device, answering it with a tap.

“Dad?” Cooper whispered, slowly turning to face Lila, a range of emotions flitting across his face. “ _Dad_.”

Lila moved forwards, so, so slowly, reaching forwards, and just as slowly, Cooper handed the phone to her. Lifting it to her ear, she gasped, then a smile grew across her face, as her father's voice filled her ears for the first time in years. Harley stepped towards the window, towards Scott and Cassie, and stared in amazement at the birds.

“It worked.”

Peter let out a coughing laugh, and the two stared at each other, before Peter tensed. Harley froze, and everything changed.

The world exploded. Cassie screamed, and Cooper barely had the time to wrap his arms around Lila before the first bomb hit.

“Guys, we got the mitten!” Lila shouted as she sprinted through… whatever the heck this was, Cooper right behind her. “What the fuck do we do with it?”

“The base blew up!” Harley replied, sounding strained. There was a grunt from him, and then dead silence, as he stopped talking, and the comm automatically muted his end of the conversation.

“Yeah, we noticed.” Cassie grumbled. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Comms blew.” Harley replied. “We’ve got backups, from that mission in Hong Kong. So, we’re linked, the old guys aren’t.”

“Be polite.” Peter ordered. “Everyone good?”

“I’m alone.” Cassie reported, then grunted. “I’m good. Guys?”

“Thanos is here.” Harley said, voice quiet. “Me, Thor, and Cap are up here. Alone.”

“Stall.” Peter whispered, voice strained. “I’m stuck. Give me a minute.”

“Ten-four.”

* * *

“Dad.” Cassie whispered, as someone’s hand wrapped around her, whisperings of ‘you’re safe’, and ‘I love you’ echoing in her mind. 

“I got you.” he promised.

“We did it.” Peter said, awestruck. He turned to Wanda, who had a blank expression on his face, then threw himself forwards, into an embrace. “We did it!”

Lila let out a laugh, falling back against the ruins of the van, head tilting back with exhaustion. Her Ronin uniform was scorched and covered in dust and debris. Her sword was somehow still with her, like Cooper still had his Hawkeye gear.

She lifted a hand to her mouth, fingertips brushing her skin as she let out a sob. “Oh my god.”

Cooper sank to the ground in a crouch, hands pushing at his head, fingers digging into his hair. “Holy shit.”

Slowly, the other heroes gathered around them. The Wasp landed beside Cassie and Scott, growing instantly and joining the hug. Tony landed with a clang beside Pepper, who immediately wrapped him in her arms.

The Guardians gathered around Rocket, who stared at the van in a sort of stunned coma, Nebula beside him. The real Nebula.

Doctor Strange landed beside Wanda and Pietro, the two holding each other, Peter just as stunned as Rocket.

Clint Barton crept forwards, eyes on his children. Lila, pressed against the van, sobbing silently, and Cooper, emotionless and holding his head.

“Where’s Natasha?”

The single question ripples around the group, commanding silence from everyone. Harley spoke up, voice dull.

“She didn’t make it.”

Lila let out another sob, covering her face with an arm, and Cooper suddenly rose, stepping towards her. He gently pried her hands from her face, and held her to his chest, slowly rocking back and forth. Her face hid in his chest, and he rested his chin on her head. His eyes closed, tears silently pooling.

A moment later, Clint wrapped his arms around the two. He held them tight, hiding his faces among theirs, and it seemed to be a sign. The returned were suddenly swamped by the survivors, and vice versa, words and gestures and emotions.

“I missed you so much.” Cooper breathed. “Oh my god, you’re real, oh my god.”

* * *

Cooper knelt at the end of the dock. He held a pair of Natasha’s stingers in his hands, and gently, so gently, placed them on the little raft of poppies and lilacs and lilies and plants he couldn’t name.

Then, he gently pushed the raft out into the middle of the lake.


End file.
